Movies and TV George Lucas lost his mind long ago

**DaneMcCloud** · 05-16-2008, 12:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by irishjayhawk

You thought Return of the Jedi was the worst of ALL the Star Wars movies - original and new?

There's no way it could be as bad as 1 or 2.

Yeah, I do.

Thematically, it was identical to "A New Hope" (Star Wars). There was nothing new or fresh about the locales, no new information was revealed, the Muppet-like Ewoks were a lame addition (it really did feel like the Muppet Show, especially during the battle scene) and with the exception of the battle between Luke & Vader on the Death Star, there was just nothing really worth watching. Lucas has even stated that if he were to do it all over, he'd have written a different script and had directed it himself (for better or worse).

I didn't care for AOTC. It had its moments (Any scene with Kenobi & Jango Fett) but I hated the yellowish-brown haze of Geonosis, the lightsaber battles looked fake and contrived, Sam Jackson was a HORRIBLE casting choice and there wasn't enough Christopher Lee or political intrigue (which is what I admired about TPM).

I also thought Ben Burtt absolutely butchered the score in the edit bay (and John Williams was pissed about that, from what I heard at the time) and the "romance" between Anakin & Padme was forced and fake at best. I also wish they would have cast ANYONE other than Hayden (Or Ryan Phillipe) as Anakin.

As for the Phantom Menace, I thought it was awesome. Absolutely awesome. It showed the Jedi, just before their decline. Liam Neeson was everything that I imagined as a Jedi (wise but powerful), Darth Maul was an insanely talented evil assassin and Senator Palpatine was at his devilish best. I loved the fact that the movie moved slowly (unlike the ridiculous pacing of AOTC) and I enjoyed the back story, especially the Pod Racing sequence.

I thought it looked beautiful (especially Naboo. Exteriors shot in Italy and the rest CGI) and I absolutely believe that it was John Williams best score ever. It's a masterpiece (and I've had many a conductor agree with that assessment).